Merkley: “We absolutely should not build the Keystone Pipeline, which would turn on the faucet for the dirtiest fossil fuels on the planet.”

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

WASHINGTON – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the Senate voted to reject a bill to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. Merkley has been an outspoken opponent of the project and spoke on the Senate Floor earlier today to urge his colleagues to vote no.

“Climate change already threatens our farming, fishing and forestry industries, and with them our middle class jobs across rural Oregon and rural America. This is unacceptable and it is important that we strive to tackle the carbon pollution driving global warming. To do so, we need to dramatically reduce the global consumption of fossil fuels and invest heavily in renewable energy. We absolutely should not build the Keystone Pipeline, which would turn on the faucet for the dirtiest fossil fuels on the planet.”